Legend of the Kitsunes: The Missing Blood
by Eternal Thief
Summary: Epic Length. A few small changes will change the world as we know it. What once was no longer is. An epic tale of Gods, Mortals, Demons, Life, Death, and the connections that tie them all together. On Hiatus.


Legacy of the Kitsunes: The Missing Blood

Legacy of the Kitsunes: The Missing Blood

Quick note before I begin. This is designed to be my greatest accomplishment as a fanfiction writer so far. It will hopefully stretch to epic length, i.e. 15-20K words per chapter. However, my prologues often tend to fall a small bit short. It also follows Naruto from the very beginning. Meaning, the day he was born. I won't go through every day, but I will be spending quite a while on his young life developing his character. This story also contains one large plot change that I noticed would have a GIANT impact on the Naruto-verse. So please, sit back, read, and enjoy, Legacy of the Kitsunes: The Missing Blood.

"Normal or Kyuubi's Speech."

'_Human Thoughts.'_

"**Demon or God Speech."**

'_**God's or Demon's Thoughts'**_

X--X

A large nine tailed fox bore down upon the ninja village of Konoha. Its nine tails flung around behind it as if it were caught in gale force winds even though the air was as still as death itself. The ninja of the village flew from their houses and across rooftops and the walls of Konoha assaulting the giant fox. Their jutsu flew through the still night air impacting on the Kyuubi's steel like fur. Spotting a small cluster of ninja the Kyuubi brought its paw down upon their heads instantly killing several and mortally wounding several others. Those that survived were flung tens of feet across the battlefield screaming in pain as their missing limbs bled onto the already blood covered ground. The Kyuubi lifted its head in roared in fury and anger. The ninjas yelled back in desperation and righteous fury. And somewhere across the village, the cry of a young baby was heard.

Doctor Yatoshi had delivered hundreds of children within the village of Konoha. He smiled as he held the small baby boy in his arms. The child was quietly sleeping, sucking his own thumb. His bright yellow hair stood out against the pale whiteness of the hospital. He turned to the mother of the child. Her bright red hair offered no explanation as to the origin of his color. He smiled sadly as he offered the child to its mother. She took him, and held him close to her chest. Doctor Yatoshi knew that the woman was going to die. She had lost too much blood and there was very little chance that they could save her. He sighed before speaking.

"He's a beautiful baby boy. And in good health too. He'll live a productive life. He'll have opportunity to work as a laborer or even a ninja." The doctor smiled as the woman gave a bright smile to her son.

"You hear that little Naruto? You could be a ninja! Would you like that? To be a ninja?" The woman tickled his stomach as he giggled. The doctor watched on, a sad smile adorning his face. He had no desire to destroy the small piece of happiness both of them had just found. He continued to watch as the woman spoke to her child.

"You make me proud Naruto. There should be at least one ninja to come from our family. So, when you get older, I want you to become a ninja alright? None of this civilian stuff. Save that for people like me. People who are too frail to become ninja." The woman smiled before handing Naruto back to the doctor. "Excuse me Mister Yatoshi. I'm tired and would like to rest." The woman leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Doctor Yatoshi tried not to let his tears show. He knew that the woman would never awake. He turned his attention back to the baby that had yet again fallen asleep once again.

"And what am I supposed to do with you?" Before he could answer his question the door creaked open and the last person he was expecting to see walked into the room. "Y-Yondaime-sama! What are you doing here? You aren't… You're not… This boy's father are you?" The Yondaime, better know as Namikaze Minato, shook his head. He spoke quietly to Doctor Yatoshi.

"I need the child." The doctor gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm sorry Yondaime-sama, but I cannot entrust this child to you." The Yondaime frowned slightly before speaking once more, still in a hushed voice.

"Shouldn't it be the mother's decision whether or not to allow the child to be entrusted to me?" At this Doctor Yatoshi opened his mouth to speak, but he closed after a few seconds and shook his head. He turned away from the Yondaime for a moment and looked at the woman. "Oh… she… she didn't make it did she?" The doctor shook his head as the Yondaime spoke in a normal volume. He had obviously thought the woman was merely resting and hadn't wished to wake her.

"If you don't mind my asking, what was her name?" The doctor looked back at him before smiling. The Yondaime was also caring when it came to the villagers.

"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina."

"And the boy?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." The doctor watched as the Yondaime walked over to the woman's body before giving a deep respectful bow.

"I thank you for your sacrifice Uzumaki Kushina-san. I am only sorry that I do not have a child of my own to offer for this service. We will remember your sacrifice for years to come." He stood up and strode over to the doctor, his white cape flailing behind him.

"I'm sorry Yondaime-sama, but I cannot entrust this child to you! I do not even know what reason you want this child for! I understand that you are the Hokage of this village, but unless you have a valid reason, I am authorized to refuse custody of a child to you!" The Yondaime's eyes took on a sad look as he listened.

"Doctor Yatoshi-san, do you know the current state of the village in which you currently standing?" The doctor looked at the Yondaime like he was crazy.

"It seems perfectly fine to me Yondaime-sama. Why do you ask?" The Yondaime looked at the windows and noticed the blinds were down blocking any view of the village.

"At this very moment, a large demon, known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of the Nine Bijuu Spirits and Ruler of the Kitsune Tribe is knocking on Konoha's front door. Or more correctly, knocking down Konoha's front door. In order to stop this beast, I require a young child such as the one you're holding in your hands right now." The doctor was quaking in fear of what the Yondaime had just revealed to him.

"Surely there's another child available for-"

"Yatoshi-san. You know as well as I know this boy is the only boy born in the last 6 hours. I am not willing to wait for another. Not just for me but for the safety of the entire village. So please, hand me the child." Doctor Yatoshi stared at the Yondaime's outstretched arms as he waited for the child. Doctor Yatoshi stood up and walked to the window. He moved the blinds to stare outside at the scene that greeted him.

The village of Konoha seemed as peaceful as always. At least, the inner areas were. The border of Konoha was in turmoil. A several hundred foot tall demon fox was tearing through Konoha's ranks like a giant demonic fox would tear through rice paper. That is to say, the fox was having very little difficulty with the task.

Doctor Yatoshi turned back to the Yondaime before clearing his throat. "Yondai-"

"Please. Call me Minato." Yatoshi looked at Minato for a moment before trying once again.

"Minato. In lieu of what I have been told and what I have seen, I have made my decision concerning the custody of Uzumaki Naruto." Yatoshi then walked to the door to the hospital room, opened and made to leave before turning around, tears falling from his eyes. "We have the utmost faith in you, Minato."

The Yondaime stood in the room for a minute. Alone except for the body of the recently deceased Uzumaki Kushina, and the small blanket wrapped boy in his arms. He looked down at Naruto before smiling slightly.

"Come on Naruto. You and I have work to do." With those words he left the hospital room, leaving the body of Uzumaki Kushina all alone.

--

A young man with stark silver hair stood amid the bodies and ranks of his fellow ninja. Although he was much shorter than most of them, being only fourteen, he stood tall amid them. His name was Hatake Kakashi. Son of the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo. Although his name was only slightly known at the time, he would gain renown throughout the ninja world with the aid of his left eye, carefully concealed under his hitai-ate. A mask covered most of his face, leaving mainly his right eye exposed. He watched the ninja in front of him were carved into small shreds of flesh and bone. They needed reinforcements and fast. He turned to the side as he heard someone yelling.

A young boy, probably around the age of 10 or so, was being carried away from the battlefield by a Chuunin. He was yelling frantically. Kakashi could discern a few words of what he was yelling.

"No… nd Dad… back there…me go…get back…ave to…them…! …t me go!" Kakashi discerned that his parents were still fighting the Kyuubi. One of the beast's tails came down flying into the area near where the boy had been. Kakashi winced. The boy's parents had been fighting the Kyuubi, but were fighting no longer.

Kakashi still stood back waiting for their signal to enter the fray. He watched as the Kyuubi's tail slammed into the ground sending up huge amounts of dirt and rock. He watched as it flew towards the Chuunin who was still holding back the wailing boy. The dirt slammed into the Chuunin, most like breaking his spine, and threw his body on top of the boy. The boy was instantly quiet as he stared at the cadaver that was currently weighing down his body. He began to quake in shock. After all it wasn't every day that a 145 lb. corpse is thrown on top of your body.

Kakashi watched in horror as the boy was crushed by the weight of the man's corpse. It wasn't enough to crush him to death, but he was entirely helpless should the Kyuubi decide to attack in that general direction. Making a split-second decision, Kakashi pumped chakra into his legs and began his run to save the boy.

This decision of Kakashi's had a profound impact. On both him, and the boy he intended to save. It was also the salvation of hundreds of ninja, but that comes later. Kakashi sped across the field dodging the various jutsu that were flying through the air. The ninja that he had left behind seeing his act of courage gave a mighty battle cry as they charged towards the Kyuubi. They had already long abandoned any hopes of any stealth tactics and were now trying to distract the beast long enough for the Yondaime whatever task it was he had gone to complete.

Kakashi landed next to the boy trapped under the corpse panting slightly after his leap over an almost misfired Goukakyuu no Jutsu. He focused chakra to his arms to augment his strength as he lifted the corpse off the boy allowing him to move.

"Hey. Kid, you ok?" The boy just looked at him, his eyes dazed and unfocused, darting every couple of seconds to something else. "Kid! Kid snap out of it!" Kakashi finally settled for smacking the boy. The boy's head instantly came into focus.

"What… where am I? Where are Mom and Dad?" He suddenly bolted upright. "Mom and Dad! I have to help them!" He tried to stand but fell back down, holding his leg in pain. Kakashi noticed that his leg was severely broken. He had also sustained a cut across the bridge of his nose, but that didn't propose any immediate danger.

"Look, I'm sorry but… your parents didn't make it out alive." Kakashi hated breaking news like that to one as young as this boy but it was unavoidable. The boy looked lost suddenly. Kakashi lifted him up and slung his arm around his shoulder. "Come on. We can't stay here. I gotta get you to the hospital."

"Oh… uh… thanks… Mister?"

"Mister nobody. My name is Hatake. Kakashi. Just call me Kakashi. None of that Hatake-san business. I may be a Jounin, but I'm still a kid. Besides, Hatake-san was my father. And now since you have my name, mind giving me yours?" The boy looked at him for a second.

"It's Iruka. Umino Iruka. Thanks for uh… y'know… saving me." Iruka looked down shamefully. He was a lousy excuse for a ninja. He may have only been an academy student, but this boy was only a couple years older than he was, and he was able to save him. Kakashi looked at Iruka's downcast face.

"Hey. Don't worry about it. There wasn't anything you could have done to save your parents. It wasn't your fault, nor was it anyone else's. No one could have stopped the Kyuubi from doing what it did." Kakashi gave his eye smile hoping to cheer Iruka up.

"It's… it's not that. I'm just wondering why do I always have to be the worthless one?" Kakashi looked surprised at what Iruka said. Before he could respond however, he continued talking. "I mean, I couldn't even help my parents. And then I caused that Chuunin to die protecting me. Then I nearly cost you your life trying to get his body off me… I've caused so much death today… it's… it's…"

"Not your fault." Iruka looked up surprised to see Kakashi's one eye hardened with a steely determination. "I used to think the same thing. My friend, Uchiha Obito, was killed on a mission in Iwa. I thought it was my fault that he died. It took me a long time to get over that. Then, when my other teammate Rin was nearly killed by several Kumo Nin… I blamed myself for that too. I even blamed myself for my father's suicide. Did you know it's typical for kids to do that?" Iruka just looked at him.

"Do what?"

"To blame themselves for things out of their control. Kids think it's all their fault, that it was something they did. Even if it was in no way their fault. I think that the same thing happened to me. I just blamed myself for everything that had happened, even though I didn't do it. And you shouldn't blame yourself either." Iruka nodded looking a little happier.

"So what happened to R-" Iruka was suddenly cut off as a giant shadow passed over their heads. Both of them turned upwards as a gigantic toad passed over their heads. Kakashi recognized it as Gamabunta; Minato and Jiraiya's personal summon, and the Boss of the Toad Summons.

"Minato-sensei!" Kakashi yelled and turned to run, but was held back by the weight on his shoulder. Kakashi looked at Iruka who looked pretty mad, before chuckling. Iruka's gaze turned into a smile. He understood that Kakashi wanted to help his sensei, but he had agreed to take Iruka to the hospital. They both continued walking towards the hospital. Kakashi looked around and was amazed at the amount of people on the streets. Or rather, the lack thereof. The streets of Konoha were empty.

Kakashi started thinking as he walked. _'Why isn't anyone here? Why isn't there anyone helping the injured ninja to the hospital?' _Kakashi's mind was in turmoil. He had always had the concept of teamwork drilled into his mind, and now, there wasn't a shred of camaraderie to be found. Kakashi was disconcerted by the seeming lack of care for the ninja of the village.

Iruka noticing Kakashi's expression knew what he was thinking. "They haven't abandoned their friends." Kakashi turned to look at Iruka. "Most of the doctors are out on the field helping the ninja. They can't spare a person for everyone who gets injured. That's why my mom and dad were out there. They were doctors." Kakashi kept walking as he listened. It assuaged his fears and offered him some measure of comfort. Iruka and Kakashi walked for several minutes in silence. Kakashi glanced back at the area where the Kyuubi was assaulting. He nearly dropped Iruka in shock. Iruka too turned, and his face turned deathly pale.

--

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, stood upon the large head of the Toad Boss, Gamabunta. In the Yondaime's arms was a small boy, his hair an unruly mop of yellow. In front of the three figures stood one of the most feared beasts, or demons, depending on how you wanted to classify the chakra manifestation, Kyuubi. Its snarling maw held enormous teeth, capable of crushing even solid stone into mere dust with naught but a thought. The beast had been about to easily crush the short being in front of it before it noticed the child in the man's arms.

The only thought it had was who would bring their own kin into a battle when they are so obviously weak and unprotected. Kyuubi took an experimental sniff of the Yondaime and his bundle. It shook its head. No, not his own kin. Someone_ else's_ kin. This made the Kyuubi even angrier then it had previously been. This man had dared to bring a _babe_, a harmless, defenseless, _infantile_¸ creature into battle with it. And he didn't even have the gall to bring his own child. He used someone else's. Kyuubi opened his maw and gave a full throated, guttural roar that tore into the Yondaime's ears.

The Yondaime gagged. The Kyuubi obviously had no idea what a toothbrush was. The Yondaime, although suffering from severe discontent, from both smelling the Kyuubi's acrid, several hundred thousand year old breath, and trying to perform an indecently large amount of hand seals for this thrice blasted sealing jutsu, did not, would not, _could not_, allow his attention to waver for even the briefest of moments. As he neared the end of his string of hand seals, he could sense the discontent of the Kyuubi he had no idea what it was for however. Just as Minato formed the final seal, the Kyuubi lunged forward, and his tooth ever so slightly grazed Minato's arm.

Now, a little known fact is that in certain animals, a large amount of bacteria accumulating in the mouth, actually gives them somewhat of a venomous bite. One such creature is a Komodo dragon. By consuming dead and rotting flesh, it builds up bacteria in its mouth. When it bites another animal, the enormous amount of bacteria quickly cripple and kill the animal, usually within 24 hours. Now, the Kyuubi, hadn't had any concept of dental hygiene for thousands of years, and consumed whatever it came across. Whether the things it came across, were alive, dead, or had been rotting in a desert for 30 years. All these things had given the Kyuubi's saliva an acidic quality. So, when the Kyuubi's tooth grazed Minato's arm, it burned off a decent chunk of flesh.

Minato gasped in pain, his left hand slipping, leaving only half the hand seal formed when he completed the jutsu. The Kyuubi's body was suddenly stopped. It could no longer move any part of its body. A shadowy cloaked figure slowly materialized in above the Kyuubi and the Yondaime. Its size rivaled that of the Kyuubi and Gamabunta. If anyone had been paying attention, they would have noticed that this being was being formed by the shadows of everything around it. That is to say, the shadows literally coalesced to form this being. Once it was done it turned its attention towards Minato.

The creature's body was merely a large shadow that tapered off in flowing ends beneath it. Its head was covered in long scraggly, dirty white-gray hair. Its face was mostly covered by a half of a mask. The mask, covering the left side of its face, was a foul, brown-green. It had a slit for an eye and it was trimmed in gold and red. The gold and red twirled intricate designs around the forehead, nose, eye, and mouth. The right side of the face had gray-black skin that seemed stretched too tight in some places, and in other far too droopy and saggy. Its mouth was a foul down turned line, its teeth a disgusting blackish color. Its right eye was closed. It spoke with the right side of its mouth.

**"What mortal has dared to call the Shinigami of the Eternal Void to this forsaken land?" **The Yondaime bowed in reverence to the Shinigami.

"It was I who requested your presence on this plane Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama." The Yondaime remained bowing and waited for the Shinigami's response. It was a tense several seconds as the Shinigami examined the Yondaime.

**"Tell me mortal. What is your name mortal? I wish to know the name of the one that has wrought his own destruction through my presence." **

"My name is Namikaze Minato, Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama." The Shinigami made no move to strike the Yondaime and remove his soul. Instead, a gnarled hand reached out from beneath the cloak and pushed the Yondaime into a standing position. He then used a single finger to slightly move the blanket wrapped around the object in the Yondaime's arms. He looked at the boy in the Yondaime's arms.

**"Tell me Namikaze Minato. What is the name of the boy?" **

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama."

**"He is not of your blood! What tricks are you trying to pull here MORTAL? You DO know that a sacrifice of this particular rite must be one of your own blood do you not? But perhaps I can accept his soul for its purity but I would also require another…" **The Shinigami swung his other arm, which was not an arm, but a long scythe like blade towards the head of a ninja who was standing nearby. His neck was about to be cleaved into half when…

"STOP!" The Shinigami swung its face till it was directly in front of Minato.

**"You, a mere mortal DARE to COMMAND the most powerful of all Shinigami, the Lord of all reigning gods! And for what! The life of a man you probably don't even know the name of." **

"Pardon me Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama. I meant no disrespect, but, it is not the boy's blood that is being offered." This intrigued the Shinigami as he listened intently. "I am offering my own." The Shinigami returned to his original position.

**"Now that IS most interesting…" **The Shinigami rested its chin on its scythe like arm for a moment. **"Very well then Namikaze Minato. What is it you desire?" **Minato took a deep breath.

"Oh Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama, in exchange for my soul, I beseech you to seal the entirety of the Kyuubi into the seal placed upon Uzumaki Naruto!" The Shinigami looked at the boy in the Yondaime's arms. He stretched his arm down towards the boy. The Yondaime made a feeble attempt to shield the boy from the Shinigami's hand. The Shinigami however simply moved the Yondaime's arms and picked up the boy with a gentleness and caring that his own mother, if she was still alive, would have been jealous of. He held him up to his face.

**"This boy's sacrifice is far greater then that of your own Namikaze. One day he will come to realize his full potential. But until then, he will bear my mark." **The boy's hair suddenly became streaked with black, and upon his chest appeared an image of two crossed scythes, a half mask standing in front of them. It stood directly over his heart. **"Namikaze. I do hope you realize what you are doing. Sealing the Kyuubi into a boy with an incomplete seal." **Minato was sweating bullets. How had the seal become incomplete!

_'The final seal! My hand must have slipped when the Kyuubi attempted to eat me. But… what will this do to Naruto?" _

**"Rest your mind Namikaze. This slight imperfection will not allow the Kyuubi to be released, nor will it end the life of the one you refer to as Uzumaki. But as to what effects it WILL have… I do not know. But rest assured, your sacrifice will be well cared for. Whether it be by humans or demons I am not particularly at liberty to say." **Minato's eyes were widened in shock. He had no idea what he was going to do. **"Now then… for the collection." **

The Shinigami reached out its gray hand to the Kyuubi's chakra body. It reached inside before grasping something and wrenching it out. What emerged was a glowing mass of some sort. It was a reddish-blue and seemed to have a likeness to a fox. It was connected by a strand of the same misty material, mixed with the Kyuubi's chakra, to the body. The mass gave a high pitched shriek as it was severed form its body. The enormous amount of chakra that composed its physical form simply dispersed.

The Shinigami, still holding the soul reached over to the Yondaime with his scythe arm. He barely touched the end to the center of the seal on Naruto's stomach. The seal began to glow as the Shinigami impaled the Kyuubi on his scythe arm. He then lifted up Naruto before plunging his scythe arm into the center of the seal. It obviously formed some form of pocket dimension, as the scythe was merely absorbed and made no physical contact with the boy. When he removed the scythe, the soul of the Kyuubi was no longer attached.

**"The sealing has been completed. The Kyuubi is trapped within in the boy and will never be allowed to escape. When he dies his soul will be sent back to Hell…" **

"WHAT! This was supposed to destroy the Kyuubi! Not allow him to reincarnate again!"

**"SILENCE MORTAL. I HAVE WARNED YOU BEFORE THE DANGERS OF INTERRUPTING A GOD.** **But, I do understand your anger, misplaced though it is. The Kyuubi's soul will return, but neither her chakra nor her memories will follow. She will be re-spawned as the lowest of the low. None will know of her past life, note even her. That shall be her punishment for her violations against the Code of the Bijuu. And now… as for the payment." **

The Shinigami reached over with his hand and pulled the soul of the Yondaime from his body. It was connected by a series of yellow-gold strings. The Shinigami severed them with a single fell swoop. The small mass of mist like energies that resembled the Yondaime was brought to his mouth. He removed his mask revealing the left side of the Shinigami's face. His mouth fully opened as he dropped the soul of the Yondaime into his stomach. As he fell the Yondaime suddenly lifted his head and yelled.

"The Kyuubi's a girl!" He was then consumed by the darkness within the god. His contract completed and done with, the Shinigami dispersed back into shadows that returned to the places from which they came. Gamabunta who had been silent during the whole proceeding stretched his tongue out and caught the small boy. He sat him down on the ground as he felt his connection to the human world deteriorate. As he disappeared the Yondaime's lifeless body began to fall to the ground.

--

Kakashi and Iruka shuddered as they watched the body of the Yondaime Hokage fall to the ground as the gigantic toad he was riding had disappeared. Iruka looked at Kakashi who appeared distraught.

"Minato-sensei…" Kakashi whispered mostly to himself. Iruka watched as Kakashi glanced at the place where his sensei was most likely to have fallen and the direction they had been heading. Iruka bit his lip and wondered what he should do. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He finally just threw caution to the wind and decided to wing it.

"Come on Kakashi. I'm sure someone was there to help him. Sarutobi-sama is probably there too. He'll be fine. Let's just go to the hospital." Kakashi glanced at him, then back to where his sensei would have fallen.

"You… you're right. I can't let my own feelings interfere with my duties as a ninja. So, what were your parents like?"

Iruka blinked as Kakashi probed the subject. He knew most people wouldn't want to talk about something like this so soon after the loss of their parents. But he also knew Kakashi was trying to get both their minds off the most likely loss of their current Hokage. Even if you were a Hokage, a fall from that height could kill you unless you were prepared for it. Iruka finally sighed.

"Well, my Dad wasn't home most of the time, while my Mom was home some of the time. My Dad worked full time at the hospital while my Mom only worked halftime." Kakashi nodded as they walked towards the hospital.

"What else?"

"Well my Dad always liked to build different figurines and models while my Mom liked trying out different recipes from all over the world. This one time she was trying to make a dish from Iwa, but she didn't have the appropriate wine. So she tried substituting some beer instead and then…"

The two new friends laughed their way into the night as they headed for the hospital. If one had happened upon them they would simply think the boy had broken his leg in a training accident or something similar and his friend was helping him to the hospital.

The two boys found refuge in their friendship that night amidst the devastating loss of their Hokage and the destruction of part of Konoha, plus the loss of hundreds of dedicated ninja. However, at that point in time it made no difference to them. Iruka simply forgot that he had no parents to greet him when he got home. And Kakashi thought nothing of being a fourteen year old Jounin. That night they were both just kids without a care in the world.

--

Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, rushed to the place where Minato had fallen. He kept whispering to himself. "No, no, no, he didn't. He couldn't have…" When Sarutobi arrived at the lifeless and soulless body of Minato, he nearly broke into tears. Partly because of his successors death, and partly due to the fact that he would have to once again assume the mantle of Hokage and face the dreaded paperwork. It was then that Sarutobi noticed the small bundle lying near Minato's corpse. He picked up the child and immediately recognized the seal on his navel. What puzzled him was the insignia emblazoned on his chest. He would wonder about that later though. He had a Council of Civilians and Ninjas to talk to.

Sarutobi sighed as he began the walk back towards the Hokage tower. The councils were not going to be particularly happy about this. But then again, they were never particularly happy about anything. However, that still didn't solve the dilemma of what he was to do with the boy. He was without any parents that they knew of, and had one of the most fearsome demons of all time sealed within in his body. That and the mysterious insignia on his chest. Sarutobi sighed once more. He would leap those hurdles when he came to them.

A room full of yelling shrieking girls and boys. This scene would normally be thought to be found in a first year ninja academy classroom, but that was not where this was taking place. This was taking place in the council chambers. And it was men and women ranging anywhere from 23 to 67. And they were all yelling like children that didn't get what they had wanted from mommy and daddy and were determined to break their eardrums. Sarutobi winced as he listened to them. Some of them were calling for the immediate death of the child lest he unleash the Kyuubi upon, while others were calling for him to be granted full rights as a citizen and given a place in the orphanage. The latter were the smarter and would probably end up better when they died. Only two of the members of the room recognized the insignia on the boy's chest. But Koharu and Homura would never openly admit to knowing its origins nor to knowing its purpose.

The rest of the council was debating the future of Naruto. And a lot of it was entwined with the two symbols he bore. One, the Shiki Fuujin that held the Kyuubi, had many council members worried. Most believed that it would break and release the Kyuubi allowing him to wreak destruction upon Konoha once again. Only then, they would have no Hokage to seal the demon away. Sarutobi was simply too old. His soul was already close enough to Death's Door that he simply would not do. A sacrifice must be desirable. Preferably one far away from Death's Door. Others believed that it simply bound the Kyuubi into a human form and he would kill them all given the chance. More thought that it gave the boy control over the beast and it allowed the beast some control over him. The last portion, the smartest one, knew it simply contained the beast and wouldn't allow any interaction between them. None of them knew however that the seal was incomplete. But no one, not even the Shinigami himself, knew how that would affect it.

The second symbol was the Shinigami's symbol on Naruto's chest. The ones who knew what it was would refuse to speak of it, and the rest were clueless. Some believed that it was the Kyuubi showing his influence already by using the seal to control the boy. Others believed that it was an omen created by the humanized demon to tell them that they would all die. The smartest group believed it was simply a tattoo of sorts that had unexplainably appeared and would have no effects on the boy. Ok, so maybe they weren't the smartest. But they were the most caring and honest. None of them were correct however. The symbol held great importance that would later influence the world as a whole. But of course, no one in the room knew that. It would be years before it even held any influence over any events. But when it did, its influence would be far reaching and heavy. But, seeing as the council didn't know this, they were still demanding the death of the boy.

Sarutobi rubbed his temples before finally yelling. "Will everyone please SHUT UP." The entire room fell silent at the anger in the Third Hokage's voice. "As I am sure you all know by now, our dear friend the Fourth Hokage has fallen in battle to the demon fox Kyuubi. And as such our village is currently leaderless. As per the law of the village, being the strongest ninja in the village, the mantle of Hokage is passed to me. And as for the fate of the fox, I am sure you all know what happened seeing as how you were just discussing it." The other council members nodded before they slowly began speaking.

"It was sealed into human form! The Yondaime weakened it so that it could be killed! We should follow through with his wish and defeat the demon once and for all!" This speaker had been a member of the Civilian council, and as such, had a group of supporters from the council who all murmured their praise for his idea. A woman with striking pink hair stood next.

"That beast is obviously influencing the child's mind! He'll be completely consumed by its power! Then, he'll come back and destroy us all like the Kyuubi wanted! The only way we can ensure this child is never a threat is if we completely erase any influence of the Kyuubi!" The woman, Haruno Shichi, got an amount of support from the Civilian Council. The man who had spoken first rose with a rebuttal.

"So you agree! The boy must be killed!" The Haruno looked indignant.

"I would never dream of killing a child! He must be treated properly!"

"Then what do YOU propose!" This time it was a merchant who asked.

"We simply get a Yamanaka to enter his mind and erase the influence." This idea seemed good. Even some Shinobi Council members were starting to nod their heads in agreement. "Of course if the taint has spread too far, as is the likely case, we'll simply wipe his entire mind. It doesn't matter if the boy becomes mindless. As long as the taint has been removed." This appalled many members of the council. One of the smiths rose.

"So you would destroy a child's mind? Force them to suffer a fate worse than death? A lifeless shell on machines and tubes! You're mad woman! This boy should be cared for! The demon is contained within him! Not as him!" The woman huffed at the smith. She obviously thought that she was right. Sarutobi just sighed as Inuzuka Tsume stood.

"The boy is a human being with a demon sealed inside him! Do any of you dare to doubt the skills of the Fourth Hokage? Do any of you dare to doubt the mind and body of a child too young to even know the difference between right and left? Do you really think that a boy as small as that could cause any harm to any of us?" The council members shook their heads no. Some seemed angry that they hadn't gotten their way. One man however, stood up and began to speak.

"Allow me to take him. Allow me to train him. Right now he is like clay. He is weak and easily molded. Allow me to shape this boy into a sword of Konoha. Allow me to transform him into a weapon to be used for the good of Konoha!" This caused everyone's mouths to drop in the sheer horror of what this man was asking. Sarutobi quickly ended the discussion.

"No such action will be taken Danzo. Naruto will be placed under my care for the first week of his life. He will then be transferred to a public orphanage where he will be granted the full rights of a citizen of Konohagakure. And further more, any citizen of Konoha, regardless of rank," Sarutobi spoke giving an especially hard glare to the Civilian council members. "To reveal Naruto's status as the container of the Kyuubi to any other citizen, regardless of their rank, who does not currently know of Naruto's status will immediately suffer capital punishment and be executed regardless of reason or motivation." Many civilian council members grumbled about the new law Sarutobi had enacted to protect Naruto. However, many of them were already thinking of ways to circumvent the law…

--

A large white room that seemed to existence in non-space held a large wooden table surrounded by thirteen chairs. Four of the chairs were currently occupied by different figures that varied in appearance. None of them moved or made any sound. It seemed as though they were waiting for the one who would fill the other chair. After several minutes a man wearing a black cloak appeared. His head was covered by a hood of the same material. He sat down at the chair that was positioned at the head of the table. One of the other figures, who was wearing a red cloak and hood, turned to him.

"Greetings Void-sama. It is a pleasure that you were finally able to join us."

The figure in black responded to the red-clad figure. "Ah, Hell-san. I thank you for the welcome. But we have important matters at hand to discuss. But first, we pay our respects." Each and every one of the figures bowed their heads. They remained silent for eight seconds. Then they raised their heads before commencing conversation. One of the figures in a brown-green cloak spoke.

"Void-sama, have you brought him?" The one in the black cloak nodded before reaching a gloved hand into the shadowed area where his face would be. When he removed his hand, it was holding a blue, mist like material. He shook it before setting it down in a chair. When he set it down it expanded taking on color and shape, and formed into the likeness of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He coughed for a moment before looking around.

"Um… excuse me Shinigami of the Eternal Void-sama, but where am I? I thought I would be confined to the contents of your stomach for all eternity?" The black cloaked figure waved his hand as if to dismiss the matter.

"Please, call me Void-sama. To answer your first question you are within the Council Hall of the Shinigami Court." Minato blinked.

"The… Shinigami Court?" Minato was beyond confused at this point. One of the figures, wearing a yellow cloak this time, spoke.

"Indeed. The Shinigami Court is where the ruling Shinigami meet to discuss the fate of the world which we overlook. Originally we were composed of thirteen. But…" The yellow one trailed off, and the black one now known as Void-sama picked up.

"But, due to certain… instances in the world we have lost many of our members. We five are all that is left." Minato looked around the room. "I am Void-sama, and I bear the black cloak, and command the Eternal Void." The red was next to speak.

"I am Hell-sama, and I bear the red cloak and command the eternal fires of Hell." The brown-green one spoke up next.

"I am Vile-sama, and I bear the swamp cloak and command the powers of acid and deterioration." The yellow one spoke next.

"I am Spark-sama, and I bear the yellow cloak and command the powers of light." The last one, clad in dark blue spoke last.

"I am Flood-sama, and I bear the ocean cloak and command the powers of the vast oceans." Once the introductions were finished Minato looked around.

"Ok, what's up with the cloaks and commanding stuff and all that?" Void-sama was the one to answer his question.

"We each bear a cloak that was created at the beginning of Time of itself. No power may destroy the cloak; however, the cloak contains unrivalled power. Even I cannot hope to match the power contained within a single cloak. However, each cloak is directly connected a different element or area on the Human Plane. All that is except the Eternal Void. But I will explain that later. Since these cloaks are connected to the areas, we are tasked with protecting the human plane. However, if one of these areas is to disappear, or be severely damaged, then it is transferred to the wielder of the cloak. That is what happened to Stone-san." All the Shinigami bowed their heads in recognition of the brown cloak which lay on an empty chair. "His mountains were exploited and destroyed, and as such he was lost to this world." Minato bit his lip. He didn't know exactly what was going on.

"Wait… why are you ALL Shinigami?" This time, Spark-sama answered him.

"We are Gods of death. We do not breathe life, nor do we create. We are tasked with protection and removal. We can immediately kill an environment, or anyone residing in it. But once we remove the life, it is sent back into the human plane and is reborn. It is a cycle. But since we have no powers of life, we are termed Shinigami." Minato nodded as it was already starting to make sense.

"But, why am I here?"

"Why are you here indeed?" Void-sama smirked at Minato. "It has been several millennia since any mortal has set foot into this chamber. Most Shinigami present do not remember the last time that it occurred. Only Hell-san and Spark-san remember." Both nodded. "But, now that you are here, we have much to discuss. As a time of great importance, and change, is coming upon us. The time has come for us to call together the Fifteen Royals." At his mention of this name the other Shinigami suddenly became more attentative. Vile-sama was the first to speak.

"Are you sure Void-sama? Do we really need to call together the Fifteen Royals? They have only been assembled twice before." Void-sama nodded to him.

"It is necessary that we call together the Fifteen Royals. The presence of Namikaze here has determined that." Minato was horridly confused at this point. He was in a Shinigami Court and they were talking about Fifteen Royals… wait, Fifteen?

"Hold on a second, if there are only thirteen Shinigami in this Court, how are there Fifteen Royals?" Void-sama would be smirking if he had a visible mouth.

"Thirteen of the Royals are the Shinigami Court members. The Fourteenth member is the ruler of the Underworld. Even though we attempt to limit their influence in the world, we must allow them their place in the Court to maintain order. And as to the Fifteenth…" Minato leaned in. "We will discuss him later. His identity and purpose is not important at this time. What IS important is your assistance." Minato blinked.

"Wait, why do you need MY assistance? I'm just a mortal. And like you said, no mortal has set foot in here in millennia! How am I supposed to help?"

"As of now you are of no use to us." Flood-sama spoke.

"But, you could be." Spark-sama was second.

"If you were to ascend in power." Hell-sama was the third to speak.

"And in standing amongst the world." Vile-sama was fourth.

"If you so choose to take this offer then you shall be granted something much more desirable then power or money or anything else you could imagine." Void-sama explained.

"And what would that be?" Minato was being cautious. He had no idea what was going on, and didn't have any desire to be tricked into something.

"That, my Mortal ally, is part of the gamble. We cannot allow you to know until you accept." Minato thought for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Void-sama, Hell-sama, Spark-sama, Vile-sama, Flood-sama, I accept your offer." Void-sama smiled underneath his hood as the other four mimicked him.

"Then don the cloak of growth and join our ranks, Nature-san." All Shinigami spoke in unison. Minato looked towards a deep green cloak laying on a chair that seemed to be calling to him. He slipped the cloak on over his clothes and instantly had a feeling of excitement wash over his body. Before he could have another thought his vision went black.

--

A tired and mentally exhausted Kakashi dragged an equally mentally exhausted Iruka into the Konoha General Hospital. Both of them had had a very trying past several hours. The frenzy of the attack of the Kyuubi and the death of the Yondaime had left everyone discouraged and disheartened. Despite that, the doctors at the hospital were generally relaxed. They had had a lot of experience dealing with intense situations and they knew that if they weren't relaxed it could mean the death of a patient. So, when a fourteen year old Kakashi dragged in the first injury that they had seen all day the doctors were somewhat excited. Iruka was immediately carted off to have his leg examined and treated, while Kakashi was handed large stacks of paper.

"Um… excuse me but what is all this?" Kakashi was concerned by the amount of paper they had given him. The doctor responded matter-of-factly.

"It's just general admission forms and the like. Since you're the one who brought him in he's your responsibility. Just fill in medical history, relationship, and the like. It's all just standard procedure." Kakashi groaned. He hated paperwork. He then questioned the doctor again.

"Excuse me, Doctor-san, but, what's going to happen to Iruka after he leaves the hospital?" The doctor just smiled at Kakashi.

"Please, call me Doctor Yatoshi. And why do you ask? Your friend will be released into the custody of his parents after his treatment.

"But… Iruka doesn't have any parents. They were killed in the Kyuubi's assault. And I know for a fact Iruka is too old for the orphanage, but he's too young to take care of himself. So, what'll happen to him?" Doctor Yatoshi frowned.

"No parents? Well, seeing as how you were the one who brought him in, you're technically legally responsible for him. You're now his legal guardian until he reaches the rank of Chuunin of turns sixteen. Whichever occurs first." Yatoshi gave him a slight smile. "So, have a nice day." Yatoshi sighed as he walked away. He felt bad for the kid. It was already 4 A.M. and this kid had lost his sensei and now had to be the legal guardian of another child. He turned once more. "I offer my condolences on the loss of your sensei. He was a great man." Kakashi looked surprised.

"You knew Minato-sensei? And how did you know I was his student?"

"Everyone knows of Hatake Kakashi student of the Yondaime Hokage. And yes I did know your sensei. I spoke with him not long before he left to battle the Kyuubi in fact. I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else I can tell you." Kakashi looked down at the ground. His life was getting worse and worse. Just then Iruka walked in with a repaired.

"Hey Kakashi! My leg's all fixed now. We can leave now. I guess I should get started looking for an apartment. My parents' was destroyed in the Kyuubi. I should also get started looking for a job too. Have to make money somehow. Well, I guess not everyone can be a ninja like you." Iruka seemed ok with the fact that he would have to give up his chances at a ninja education. However Kakashi knew inside Iruka was horribly torn up at the fact that he would be forced to live a normal civilian life. Kakashi put an arm around Iruka's shoulder.

"No. WE have to start looking for a bigger apartment." Kakashi gave him an eye-smile. Iruka looked kinda strangely at Kakashi.

"Look, I'm sorry Kakashi, but I don't swing that way." He said shaking his head. Kakashi nearly choked.

"You think I'm GAY!?" Kakashi was pretty freaked.

"While you did say WE should look for an apartment…" Iruka seemed kinda unperturbed about it.

"Iruka… apparently, since your parents are… no longer here, and I was the one to bring you to the hospital, I've been appointed as your legal guardian." Iruka blinked.

"So… I'm under the care of a Jounin." Kakashi nodded. "Until I become a Chuunin or turn sixteen." Kakashi nodded. "And I DON'T have to get a job?" Kakashi nodded again. "And I can continue to attend the ninja academy?" Kakashi nodded once more. Iruka let out a whoop of a joy and started prancing around in joy. He was jumping around while Kakashi shook his head. Iruka took a leap and fell down and landed on his formerly broken leg. What ensued was Iruka hopping after Kakashi yelling obscenities on one foot as Kakashi laughed his head off. And once again they were no longer a Jounin and his young charge, they were simply kids forced together under difficult circumstances.

--

Sarutobi sighed as he stood in his office once again overlooking Konoha. He hadn't really wanted to come back but he knew that the people of Konoha needed guidance right now. He turned as a small boy in a crib started crying. He picked up the boy to calm him down. He looked at the boy's blonde hair and blue eyes before sighing.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you were Minato's son. But I know he never engaged in any relationships. But… where did you come from? No one has any records of your mother and no one even has any idea who your father is. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to track down the doctor who helped your mother give birth to you, and question him…" Naruto just gave a giggle as the Sandaime spoke. The door to his office then opened and the face of his son, Asuma appeared.

"Yo, Pops. How's it goin with the youngin'?" Sarutobi sighed at the lack of respect his son showed him, but knew it was just his way of dealing with the harsh life of a shinobi.

"It's going just fine Asuma. I just worry for his safety. The council was nearly calling for his blood at the meeting." Sarutobi shivered as he could practically feel the bloodlust that had been rolling off the council members.

"Those Council Members are just afraid Pops. They don't fully understand what it was the Yondaime did. No one really does. Except maybe you. You know that they're just afraid of things they don't fully understand. Besides, how can they fully be sure that the Kyuubi isn't going to break free and kill everyone? They have faith in the things they know, and all they know is self preservation."

"They do have faith in the things and people they know. But they don't have any faith in the abilities of the Yondaime. They are letting their fear overwhelm their better judgment. This is a child's life we're talking about, and they want to throw it away like some piece of used trash. Sometimes I fear this village has lost its sanity." Asuma just sighed as he listened to the Sandaime, and looked at the small boy.

"Well, we'll just have to prove them wrong. There's no way a demon could be as small and as cute as this little boy here. I don't know if you can ever convince the Council of that fact though. Those single-minded fools will destroy this boy if you let them." Asuma set the boy down.

"Now, Asuma I am sure you didn't come in here for any small reason. You must have something to discuss with me." The Sandaime puffed his pipe glad to have a distraction.

"It's about the job I was offered Pops." The Sandaime nodded. He knew of Asuma being offered to join the Twelve Guardians of Fire. "And I just wanted to see what you thought. And I do need your approval as you are my commanding officer." The Sandaime looked at his son in thought.

"Very well Asuma. I will allow you to be temporarily suspended from all active shinobi duty within Konoha, and you have my permission to join the Twelve Guardians of Fire." Asuma nodded as started to leave. Sarutobi could tell there was something more he wanted to talk about but he wouldn't voice it. He stopped just in front of the door his hand almost on the knob.

"She loved you." Sarutobi nodded solemnly. "She loved you with her whole heart and you let her down. You could have done something. You could have saved her." Asuma started to leave once more before Sarutobi spoke.

"Asuma… I'm sorry." Asuma looked back at his father as he looked down at his desk eyes closed in thought… or memory. "I could have done something. I could have saved her. But would it have been the right thing?" Asuma became angry and was speaking through clenched teeth.

"She was your **wife**. And you let her die. She was my **mother**. And you let her die. And you ask me if it would have been the right thing to do? Of course it would've been the right thing." Sarutobi sighed as he leaned back into his chair, and Asuma realized something. His father was no longer nearly as strong as he had once been. And it was then that he realized exactly how much pressure was placed on his Father. He turned once more to leave.

"Asuma." He turned. "I'm… sorry." Asuma gave a small smile.

"I know Pops. I know." With that Asuma left the Sandaime's office. Sarutobi just leaned back and sighed. It had been years since the incident where Sarutobi had lost his wife. Asuma had been very young, and he had always blamed his father for it. What Asuma never seemed to understand that what Sarutobi HAD saved that day was unimaginably important. He opened a small drawer on his desk and pulled out a small black stone with some form of symbol on it. He held it in his hand and looked at the carvings. He turned it over in his hand before looking in the mirror.

Staring back at him was a reflection of himself, only he looked fifty years younger. He looked at his features and how they had changed. His hair had once been brown and he had once been quite muscular. He sighed and set the stone back in the drawer. His skin became less elastic and his hair changed back to white. And he lost much of his muscle mass. He shivered at the feeling that the stone always managed to instill in him. He locked the drawer before looking at it longingly before shaking his head.

"Matters of the God's are not for mortals to mettle in." Sarutobi then returned to his paperwork the blue eyes of Naruto watching him went unknown in the small and quiet office.

--

The matron of the Green Leaf orphanage sneered as she read over the paperwork that she had just been handed. She was going to have the Kyuubi placed into her orphanage. She did not want to this happen. But no matter how much she resisted it, the Hokage had ordered it so she would be forced to take him into the orphanage. The matron however, was none too happy about the boy being forced to live in her orphanage. She was sure she could think of something…

The Sandaime arrived several hours later with Naruto held carefully in his arms. The Matron swooned and crooned over the 'cute little angel.' She showed the Sandaime how the rooms were carefully kept and all the things they had to entertain the children. The Sandaime seemed pleased with the institution. What the matron didn't show the Sandaime was how she was a ruthless enforcer of every little rule there was. Nor did she tell him about the basement of the orphanage where they kept the "troublesome" kids. But most importantly she didn't tell the Hokage about all the new experiences Naruto would receive at the Orphanage. Experiences that would include being burned, being nearly drowned, cut up with knives, and numerous other ways the Matron planned to torture young Naruto.

Naruto was never happy in the orphanage. Throughout his first year there he hated it. Even though he was only a baby he still understood basic things like love and hate. He hated it there. And no one loved him. Those were things that were clear to him. Whenever he was taken to be washed, which was very rare, he was repeatedly nearly drowned. His baths were often taken in scalding water hot enough to nearly burn him or in water just several degrees above freezing. If not for some unknown factor Naruto would have suffered severe burns and nearly died from severe hypothermia.

His second year in the orphanage was not much better. If he was released to play with the other kids they would often take his toys and no one stopped them. In fact it was encouraged that they do things like that. It was in this year that Naruto had his first experience with knives. One of the workers at the orphanage 'accidentally' dropped it in the kitchen during meal time and deeply slashed his arm. When he attempted to tell the other workers they all ignored him. Except for one.

This one girl took him over to the sink to clean the wound. She washed it off very carefully with water. Naruto smiled at her and she smiled back. She then told him she was going to help it heal with some medicine. Naruto trusted her completely. The next thing Naruto knew his world exploded in pain. The girl was viciously clutching his arm as she rubbed some form of white powder into his arm. He later found out that the white powder was called salt. That experience instilled in Naruto a fear of almost everyone.

Naruto hid in his room after the salt incident clutching his arm. It was there he discovered his powers. He could heal incredibly fast. He found that his wound bled until the salt was gone, then it healed up in a matter of minutes. He hid this fact. He knew difference was a bad thing among the orphanage. At least for him it was. Anything he did different he was beaten for.

His third, and final, year at the orphanage Naruto discovered the wonders of the "Chain Room." This wonderfully, and aptly, named area was located in the basement. Located through a secret door behind the boiler, was a small dark room. In that room were two shackles used to hold the orphans who were particularly troublesome, or in these days, Uzumaki Naruto, to the wall. He was currently held against the wall shivering in rags. He coughed as he tried to stay awake. Being found asleep in this room was very bad. But they almost never came down. Naruto thought maybe he had time for a small nap. He leaned his head back against the cold stone wall and was fast asleep.

--

The Kyuubi sat in her cage watching the boy's pathetic life. The Kyuubi knew what cruelty was and had lived amongst perhaps the worst practitioners of the concept. Demons. Now, Kyuubi had seem almost every kind of cruelty imaginable, but even demons held one thing in high regard. And no, it wasn't life. Demons actually despised life as it was commonly applied to humans the embodiment of demons' hate. But that comes in later. Demons held their children in high regard. It was the worst act to kill a child, or even harm one. So what the Kyuubi was seeing for the past three years drove her to limit. If she could break free she would destroy the humans in no time. But for now she was forced to watch. It would be another nine years or so until she had weakened enough to communicate with the boy.

However, when all of a sudden, Naruto's spiritual form appeared in front of the grate that held back the Kyuubi, she was very surprised. This shouldn't have been possible for years! Kyuubi looked at the paper that represented the seal. She studied it more closely than ever before. Squinting at the smallest corner she noticed the most miniscule tear. It was naught more than a thousandth or less of the seal, but it opened up enormous potential for her and the boy. Now, all she had to do was wake the fool.

Kyuubi extended her paw through the gate and tapped Naruto on the head. He stirred but did not awaken. She tapped him a few more times on the head.

"Ohhh Naruto! Wake up sleepy-head…" Naruto finally stirred and woke up. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and yawned. He looked up at the large red paw in front of him and the simply enormous creature in front of him. The Kyuubi expected him to get up and run somewhere else in his mind screaming. Instead he merely reached out his small arms and grabbed one of Kyuubi's toes.

"Bunny!" The Kyuubi looked at the boy. He thought she was a _rabbit_? She tried to shake him off her toes but it didn't work. "Bunny-san funny!" the Kyuubi glared at the boy. She tried to shake him off once more but he held on. "Bunny-san, why you such big?" The Kyuubi looked at him. The boy obviously didn't know the right way to speak, but it was still impressive for a boy of his education and age.

"No. Not Bunny." The Kyuubi wasn't sure why she was acting like she was towards the boy. She wanted to take over his body and escape didn't she? So why was she talking to the boy? The Great Kyuubi couldn't be starting to like a human being, could she? Whatever it was, she just went along with what her instincts told her.

"But… Red bunny! Big ear!" Naruto made motions above his head with his arms as if to make large ears. Kyuubi just stared at him.

_**'Are my ears really that big?'**_ Kyuubi thought as she looked up at her ears.

"Bunny-san got big fur! Big fur!" Kyuubi looked as he still clutched to her toe. She picked him up and pulled him close to her face. He just held on. "Big face!" He seemed excited and happy that he found a friend that someone didn't chase off.

"No Naruto. Not Bunny." He frowned. He thought he was right. "Bunny not right." As he finally clued in to what she was saying he buried his face in the soft fur of her paw. She just stared for a minute before realizing what he was doing.

_**'He thinks I'm going to hurt him! Every time he's heard the words no or not, he's been beaten or hurt! I'm going to have to fix this.' **_The Kyuubi brought him closer to her face.

"Naruto?" He turned his head to look at her. "I won't hurt you for being wrong."

"No pain for no right?" The Kyuubi looked at him before nodding. She had a lot of work to do.

"Right. I will never inflict pain on you just because you were wrong about something. Now, I am NOT a bunny." The Kyuubi shook her head. She was unexplainably being uncharacteristically demonic. She would have normally torn the boy to pieces for coming into his mind like this, but something about the fact that he was actually able to come here, and the fact that he was so young all seemed to make the Kyuubi nicer. There also seemed to be another force. An unexplainably strong force that made the Kyuubi want to make this boy her friend. Her ally.

"Fuzzy dog?" Naruto looked at Kyuubi for approval. When she shook her head he cringed, but no blow came.

"Try again." He stared at Kyuubi in amazement.

"Again?" She nodded. Obviously no one had ever given him a second chance. So when she offered him one he instantly became happier. "Kitty?" Kyuubi again shook her head. Naruto shook his head trying to think of more animals. "…fox…?" Naruto was very unsure seeing as how Kyuubi's ears were so large. When Kyuubi nodded Naruto lighted up in joy. Kyuubi also smiled, in a creepy giant demonic fox like way, but smiled nonetheless. The Kyuubi then looked at the outside world for a second before realizing something. She turned back to Naruto before she initiated her plan.

"Naruto. Do you wanna escape from the bad place?" Naruto vigorously nodded. "Do you wanna become smarter?" He again nodded. "Do you want to learn how to pay back everyone who has ever hurt you?" This time he didn't nod he looked at Kyuubi with eyes empty of compassion.

"I do." The Kyuubi grinned.

"Then go to sleep Naruto. When you wake up, everything will be much better than it is now." The Kyuubi set Naruto's body back on the ground outside the cage. He leaned back and seemed to fall sleep. The Kyuubi then enacted her plan. She knew that although the seal had been weakened she only had a short time…

Naruto's body twitched and his eyes opened glowing a pale red. The Kyuubi-controlled Naruto looked down at the shackles on his feet. It was as she had thought. The boy was too skinny for them to hold him. She pulled Naruto's feet out of the shackles and looked around. The only possible escape route was a small ventilation shaft. The Kyuubi forced a small bit of chakra to Naruto's feet and jumped to it. She pulled his body in and began to crawl. As she moved she assessed his body.

_**'Hmm… He is most definitely malnourished. And disturbingly thin. But both of those can easily be fixed. His mind is in a poor state. The poor boy is stupid as a piece of lead. But, I can fix that. Looks like me and you have a long couple years ahead of us boy…' **_The Kyuubi thought as she pushed Naruto's body through the cramped ventilation shaft.

--

Iruka sighed as he flopped down on a futon in his and Kakashi's apartment. He had just finished another day full of boring D-rank missions and was exhausted. He sighed as he closed his eyes. The last three years had been a blur. Kakashi had provided him with a place to stay and had provided food and supplies Iruka needed. In exchange Iruka provided companionship and a confidant. Kakashi did however develop a liking for the Icha-Icha Paradise series. Iruka couldn't blame him, he too enjoyed the well written, if not extremely perverted, series. Kakashi had however, agreed that he would only read them in private. That didn't however stop him from being very open about his love of the book.

Iruka knew that that was just Kakashi's way of dealing with shinobi stress. Iruka hadn't really had much experience with it, and probably never would. His parents had been doctors, and while he didn't have the control to be a doctor, he still wanted to help rather than kill. Iruka of course planned to be an Academy Instructor. When he had first told Kakashi he had merely told him, "It's your funeral." Iruka just sighed. His Jounin-sensei has said they could compete in the Chuunin next year. Once they were more prepared. Iruka heard the door to the apartment open and knew Kakashi was back from… wherever it was he had gone.

"Yo!" Iruka just groaned at Kakashi's attempts at being cool. "You hear about the incident?" Now this piqued Iruka's interest.

"What incident?" Anything that was prominent enough to catch the attention of the shinobi circle was big news indeed.

"It seems one of the children at the orphanage escaped somehow." Iruka just raised his eyebrows. It wasn't hard for a kid to escape from an orphanage employee.

"So? What's so hard about that?"

"The kid was chained up in the basement." Now this both caught Iruka's interest again, and pissed him off to no end. Someone had actually chained a child up in a BASEMENT.

"What the… How in the hell did this happen!" Iruka, despite being a Genin, was famous for having a temper that could match that of the Kyuubi. If he was pissed, you were either dead, or were going to be damn well wishing you were. Kakashi just continued unfazed by Iruka's temper.

"Apparently it was some overbearing orphanage matron that used the room to punish children she thought behaved badly. Yikes. Sounds like one hell of a dominatrix don't she?" Iruka just kept thinking.

"But… it wouldn't matter if just any kid escaped; after all it's just some random kid right? Or is it someone else?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head in his evasive way.

"It was actually the Uzumaki." Now, Kakashi had the Fourth Hokage for a sensei and had developed a very large trust in the man's abilities. And this trust had passed off onto Iruka. And with this trust came the belief that the seal would always hold and they would never have to worry about the Kyuubi. So, both of the men thought of Naruto as an actual human being rather than as a demon. So when Iruka heard that Naruto had escaped the orphanage that had been mistreating him, he was very worried, but also overjoyed.

"Well, at least he has a chance now." Kakashi sent him a questioning look with his single exposed eye. "He never would have survived if he stayed in that orphanage from what I've been told. So, maybe this is for the best?" Kakashi just shrugged and continued on his way not giving it another thought. He was more pre-occupied by the small bag he had that contained several small orange books that would captivate him for several hours. Iruka however was content to think about Naruto's situation. At least until Kakashi finished with the first book and he could read it.

Neither of them knew how much this conversation of where Naruto might be would change their lives. Neither of them knew how much reading porn in private would affect them. Neither of them knew how much simply meeting each other would change their world.

--

A shadowed figure spoke to a boy who looked to be about eleven or so. He wore glasses and had spiky white hair. His name was Yakushi Kabuto. The figure he was speaking to was a master of stealth, and as such he was perfectly concealed. The figure whispered instructions to the young Kabuto. He nodded before speaking.

"But what do you want from me in return?" The man whispered to him once more.

"Hmm… a most interesting offer. But perhaps… I can offer something more." The figure's eyes seemed to brighten at the prospect. "There is a… boy I believe who would suit your purpose." The figure seemed to be waiting expectantly. "Uchiha Sasuke. His personality seems to be exactly the kind of person whom you're looking for." The figure seemingly smirked through the darkness. "However, Uchiha Itachi may be a wrench in your plans." The smirk fell from the shadowed figure's face in an instant.

"I see…" a hissing and raspy voice emitted from the darkness. "If that is all you have to offer me…" The boy looked around before whispering something to the figure. Although he was very young, he had access to high level items. Mostly due to the fact that his father was one of the lead doctors at the hospital. His father would often leave him in one office or another while he talked with someone. "Yes… I didn't know that fool Sarutobi had held on to that relic. Last I had heard it was sent to a temple in the north of Snow Country. That fact that it is here is most fortunate. Very well boy. You have earned your life. For another few weeks at least." The figure disappeared leaving behind a boy who knew if his information was insufficient he would die. Perhaps, perhaps there was another way he could be useful to his master…

--

A figure wearing a large bamboo hat sat in a circle with three other figures wearing similar hats. Each one wore a robe as black as the night sky, with blood red clouds decorating its length. Each one wore a different ring with a different symbol. The one sitting at the head of the group was the first to speak.

"The final act has commenced. The process can now begin." The others simply nodded, the bells dangling from their hats giving a slight jingle. "However, we still require more force before we are able to move. Kakuzu, are our funds adequate for persuading certain members to join?" A man sitting to the right of the speaker lifted his hat.

His face was covered by a piece of cloth and his eyes resembled a pair of goggles. He just slightly turned before answering. "Our funds are far from adequate. But simply for the purpose of luring in other members? Our funds should be sufficient. I require more time in the field if I am to build up adequate funds." The first one, apparently the leader, nodded.

"Very well. You and Hidan shall be allowed to track down whatever it is you need to increase our funds. You are allowed any targets. Do not return without any results." A man sitting to the right of Kakuzu, across from the leader, spoke up in an irritated tone.

"Hey, why do I have to go? It's not like I use money or anything. Trinkets of that sort do no appease Jashin. Only blood will appease my master. Wait… will there blood on this trip?" The figure known as Hidan's eyes lit up in the prospect of sacrificing blood to this Jashin figure that he seemed to follow. Kakuzu just looked at the man named Hidan who was now giggling while cutting his hand with a strange three bladed scythe.

"We collect bounties off the heads of wanted ninja. We kill them. We rip off their heads. We turn them in. We get paid. It all works out." Kakuzu was a man of simple words. Hidan, Hidan was a boy with a big scythe and a lust for blood. That was the only way to describe him. He didn't even need words. He would just carve a message into your arm, and then while you were reading it, torture you to death with his own strange Jashin ritual.

"So there WILL be blood! Goody! Jashin-sama is getting hungry. So am I. Does anyone have any food?" Hidan was also a boy with a short attention span. Not to the point of ADD, but enough to the point where he was hard to hold a conversation with. The leader just motioned for the two to leave. Kakuzu did so with slow, deliberate movements, like he was many parts of a whole trying to learn to work together. Hidan did it like a kid who had just been told where Sugar-Happy-Fun-Land-of-Joy was and that they were going to live there. Hidan was a very strange man. He giggled and accidentally cut off part of his left leg. He just looked at it for a second, picked it up and hopped along his way. A _very_ strange man.

After the two had left the Leader turned towards the last figure. "Zetsu. You know what you are to do." The strange plant like figure nodded his Venus-fly-trap head before sinking into the ground. The Leader let out a sigh as soon as he knew he was totally alone. He walked into a small room, one wall covered by seals. He pressed his hand against the seal covered wall. The seals glowed briefly before revealing a large room.

The room was lined by hundreds upon hundreds of shelves. Each shelf held a body. Each body was disfigured in some way or another. Some were missing limbs, fingers, hands, toes, legs, bones, eyes, hair, skin, internal organs; everything that could be taken from a body had been taken from at least one body. In the center of the room, lay a single body. The body was split open and its internal organs were clearly visible. Its face was that of a beautiful young woman. The leader walked up to the body and slowly caressed her face with the back of his hand.

"My dear Konan… I promise one day I will bring you back. And this time, I will ensure you will stand by as my angel, for all eternity." He slowly and deliberately laid a gentle kiss on her cold and unmoving lips. He examined the seals he had placed on each and every organ. Each one held multiple organs of the same type so that if one of them was damaged, it would instantly be replaced by one inside the seal to prevent her death. He had let his lover die once and he wasn't about to let it happen again.

--

The Shinigami Court, or rather its remnants, stood assembled in the small bleach like room. Void-sama motioned towards each of the other four Shinigami. The newest was the one covered by the green cloak.

"You have stayed here long enough Nature-san. I believe it is time that you began your Pilgrimage. We will know once you have completed it. Return to us at that time." The green cloaked figure, known as Nature-sama nodded before stepping out of the room and disappearing. A figure in a Red cloak spoke.

"Do you think this is wise Void-sama? I mean, he is certainly a most powerful being, but at the level of a god? Surely not!"

"Hell-san, I do trust that you understand that of which you speak, but this is a necessary measure. I did not send him on his pilgrimage after only 3 years for a small reason. The time is approaching and we have little time to prepare. Prospective souls must be netted and trained now. We do not have the leisure of selecting only one or two every couple of decades. We must collect them and train them now. Eight pieces of the world are in shambles, while one is on the verge of ripping! If we don't fix this we may lose the Fifteen Royals." The other Shinigami shifted uncomfortably, understanding the direness of the situation they were in. Void-sama sat down as he sighed.

"The Fifteenth Royal has already contacted the Fourteenth." The other Shinigami would have fallen over if they were standing. "And if my hunches are correct then the Fourteenth may do what has never been done before. She may attempt to convert the Fifteenth Royal." The Shinigami were sent into an uproar. "There is nothing we can do! The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Royals are not part of the Shinigami Court for a very good reason."

Vile-sama spoke up. "And what is this reason!"

"Neither of them know of their status as Royals." They all quieted down. It seemed the world still had a chance at order. "But." Everyone in the room tense. Something big was about to happen. "If my hunches are correct, then, the Future Thirteenth Royal may be attempting to form a union between the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Royals." The whole room nearly burst from its pocket dimension. Void-sama released his full form as he expanded the room before silencing the Shinigami.

**"Silence!" **Every other Shinigami instantly stopped what they had been doing and bowed down to the true form of the Void Shinigami. **"I do not know what may happen if the two Royals combine. It may be disastrous, or may be the thing that saves this reality. But, whatever happens, there is nothing we can do. The Two Royals can easily overpower us, even with limited knowledge of their powers. But as of now they do not even know of these powers. But until that time we will simply do what we can. We will wait."**

The other Shinigami accepted the command and sat back to wait. Void-sama assumed his normal form as they sat back, sorting through the multitude of souls they each consumed from their respective regions. None of the Shinigami could have known, that at that point in the time, the two remaining Royals were far more advanced into their own powers then any of them could have imagined. In fact, they had nearly mastered them. But the Shinigami were too pre-occupied by their duties to give any thought to that particular snippet of oh so precious information.

--

A small boy crawled out of a sewer grate in the middle of a deserted street in Konoha. His brown mottled disgusting hair was covered in hair and dirt. In fact, it wasn't brown at all, but blond. He peeked out looked around, and then pulled his scrawny body out the hole. Fueled by a small amount of demonic chakra, he crawled over to a closed stall. Prying it open with his hands, he reached in and pulled out handfuls of fruits and vegetables. He was even lucky enough to score a few pieces of meat. He repeated the process lifting open several carts on the street that the owners had believed too safely guarded to lock, and taking several items. By the time he left he was staggering under the weight of the food and other goodies he had accumulated. Unfortunately there wasn't much but food. Stalls rarely had anything else.

If anyone had looked outside that night, they would have seen a small, small, boy, carrying a bunch of food, staggering and tottering about, holding a stuffed fox in his mouth by the tail, as he headed towards a currently unknown destination.

X--X

Author's End Note: Holy crap. This is the longest chapter I've ever put out so far. It does explain the premises of the story and introduce most of the key figures. If any of it doesn't make sense, Sarutobi's stone for instance, will be explained later, as in where they came from and such. And as for the Yondaime being Naruto's father, this is my fanfiction, so I can say whatever the hell I want to. And I never particularly liked the Yondaime being his father. So, for this fic he isn't. Any other questions, feel free to address them in reviews or PM's!


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